At the beginning of the year, many
people make a list of things they want to get done. Well the year
is 3/4 of the way over and how are you doing on your list?
One way to reflect on the progress of your EH&S programs is to
perform a compliance audit. Call us if you need help or want a
third party to audit your EH&S systems.
August Mack
specializes in environmental, health and safety compliance;
environmental due diligence; environmental site remediation; and
sustainable business strategies to...
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I can't tell you how many times
potential clients have asked me about "Going Green" and immediately want
to discuss sustainable business strategies, such as recycling,
planting trees, etc. My first response is to ask whether they are
compliant with all of the required environmental compliance
requirements. The typical response is either "yes" or an
inquisitive look. Based upon my experience, many facilities
are not fully compliant with the numerous environmental compliance
programs that are...
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It is estimated leaking components in facilities nationwide emit
more than 40,000 tons of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) each
year. Recent EPA audits suggest that actual facility leak rates are
over five times as much as what had been previously reported. The
EPA is increasing enforcement and more facilities are becoming
applicable to Leak Detection and Repair (LDAR) program requirements
through the Clean Air Act via New Source Performance Standards
(NSPS) and National Emission Standard for...
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How is your safety
program? Are the plans and programs up-to-date? Have
you completed the required training? Have you spot checked or
audited your programs? Are you documenting adherence to the
requirements? If you are not sure, consider performing a safety
compliance audit by a third party. Call August Mack
Environmental at 317.916.3105 for more information!
Almost all facilities have a
maintenance department that is responsible to maintain the
equipment and facility. In this process of maintaining the
facility, this department can generate different types of
waste. One waste stream that has the potential to
be a hazardous waste is any spent solvent from a parts washer.
Depending upon the solvent, this material quite often needs to be
handled as hazardous
waste when it is disposed or removed from the
facility. There are numerous other waste streams...
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An environmental compliance
consultant specialist from August Mack Environmental is likely to
ask the following questions regarding waste during the
environmental compliance auditing process:
- What is their hazardous waste generator status (CESQG, SQG, LQG
or TSDF)?
- Is all waste properly characterized (sludges, dust, etc.)?
The environmental compliance
consultant from August Mack Environmental also will:
- Review all record keeping, manifests and reports
- Inspect all satellite accumulation and hazardous...
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An environmental compliance
consultant specialist from August Mack Environmental is likely to
ask the following questions regarding SPCC Plan during the
environmental compliance auditing process:
- Do they have or do they need a SPCC Plan?
- Is it updated? Are they following it? Is it PE-certified? Does
the plan have all of the necessary elements?
- Where are spill kits located?
The environmental compliance
consultant from August Mack Environmental also will:
- Review all record keeping
- Look at all oil...
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There are two ways to help the
bottom line...spend less or make more. Making more means bringing
in more revenue for your organization. This part of the equation is
not always 100 percent in your control. The other side of
the coin is to spend less and an organization does have a lot of
control over this area. Several ways to spend less are to buy less
or get a better deal on the things you are buying. But one area
where a facility could end up spending money that can be
unpredictable is if you...
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An environmental compliance
consultant specialist from August Mack Environmental is likely to
ask the following questions regarding storm water during the
environmental compliance auditing process:
- Do they have or do they need a
storm water permit?
- Is it updated? Are they following
it? Does the plan have all of the necessary elements?
- Where are spill kits located?
- Any sampling
requirements?
The environmental compliance
consultant from August Mack Environmental also will:
- Review the Storm Water...
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Same Level Falls - Slips
and Trips
Injuries due to falls are one of the
fastest growing safety issues in our workplaces today. Falls can
occur anywhere from industrial facilities to office settings and
even home-based businesses. Falls are often categorized into two
groups; elevated falls and same level falls. Even though elevated
falls generally result in more serious injuries, they tend to make
up less than 40 percent of work-related fall injuries. The
reduction of same level falls or slips and...
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An environmental compliance
consultant specialist from August Mack Environmental is likely to
ask the following questions regarding wastewater during the
environmental compliance auditing process:
- Are they fulfilling the permit
requirements?
- Are all reports being submitted
on-time and correctly?
- Are all plans developed that are
required in the permit (Slug Control Plan, etc.)? Are they
following and updating plans, as necessary?
- Is record keeping being completed
as required?
- When are the permits due...
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As discussed in
an earlier post, eCAP® has a five-step process that one
of our environmental compliance specialists utilize to implement
eCAP® at any facility. The third step in this process is
site inspections.
During
a site inspection step, August Mack
Environmental provides routine inspections by
trained personnel performing customized compliance audits
to ensure ongoing compliance with all environmental and safety
requirements.
An environmental compliance consultant specialist from August
Mack Environmental is likely to ask the following questions
regarding air during the environmental compliance auditing
process:
- Is the facility fulfilling the permit requirements?
- Are all reports being submitted on-time and correctly?
- Are all plans developed that are required in the permit (CAM,
ERP, OM&M, etc.)? Are they following and updating plans as
necessary?
- Is record keeping being completed as required?
- Have stack tests been...
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As discussed in an earlier post,
eCAP® has a five-step process that one of our
environmental compliance specialists utilize to implement
eCAP® at any facility. The second step in this process
is compliance review and planning.
During the environmental, health and safety compliance review and
planning process, the eCAP® account team will meet with
your management team to review your current compliance status and
make plans for the year ahead. We evaluate a wide range of
variables, including...
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While each environmental, health
and safety (EH&S) audit is unique to the needs of the
facility, the following list identifies the standard areas usually
examined during the environmental compliance auditing
process.
- Air
- Wastewater
- Storm Water
- SPCC Plan
- Waste Plan
- Chemical Reporting
- Other Compliance Issues
During the next few weeks, this blog will discuss these key areas
and highlight what an environmental compliance specialist at August
Mack Environmental would look for in each of these areas during...
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As discussed in an earlier post,
eCAP® has a five-step process that one of our
environmental compliance
specialists utilize to implement eCAP®
at any facility. The first step in this process
is environmental compliance auditing.
The environmental, health
and safety compliance audit is designed to
establish which regulatory programs apply to your facility and
where you stand. This audit includes a complete review of your
records and a comprehensive on-site inspection of all your
facilities,...
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One important aspect of the
environmental compliance auditing process is the review of the
facility's records and data. During this review, an experienced
environmental compliance consultant will review the
following:
- Permits
- Environmental Plans
- Environmental Reports
- Record keeping and inspection
documents
- Training documentation
- Regulatory agency
correspondence
- Material Safety Data Sheets
(MSDS)
- Purchasing records
The environmental compliance
specialist also will suggest recommendations for any...
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During the site walk/inspection portion of an environmental
compliance auditing process, an environmental compliance specialist
from August Mack Environmental will:
- Try to tour the facility's operations in the sequence of the
process
- Ask questions
- Note information on the site/facility map
- Look everywhere (roof, outfalls, maintenance rooms, basement,
etc.)
- Note "floor practices"
- Look at surrounding neighbors
To have an experienced environmental compliance consultant conduct
an environmental, health and...
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